'Marsch Will Put An Arm Around The Leeds Players'
- Leicester City host Leeds United at King Power Stadium on Saturday (12:30pm GMT kick-off)
- The Foxes will face a Whites side still coming to terms with the departure of Marcelo Bielsa
- American Jesse Marsch will bring a fresh approach to Yorkshire, says Beren Cross from Leeds Live
- Live coverage of the clash is available across the day on Saturday courtesy of LCFC Radio
The Yorkshire club made the emotional decision to part company with Marcelo Bielsa earlier this week – ending a journey which had taken the three-time English champions from mid-table in the Sky Bet Championship and restored their place in the Premier League after 16 years away.
Leeds' maiden season back in the top flight ended with an impressive ninth-placed finish, but now they sit just two points above the relegation zone having played more matches than most of the sides around them. American manager Marsch is the man they've turned to in order to inspire a revival.
Cross described Leeds as a 'city in mourning' following Bielsa's departure but pointed to justifications for the decision and highlighted why supporters may come to be optimistic about their chances at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. They face Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Saturday.
"Mixed is the word, as with most things in football," he told LCFC Radio, outlining the supporters' reaction to the past week. "People are divided. They all have various opinions on things, so it’s hard to get 100 per cent approval of decisions you make in football, however easy or difficult they may be.
"Andrea Radrizzani, the club’s owner, has admitted it was the most difficult decision of his tenure to remove Marcelo Bielsa from his position. As I’m sure many Leicester City fans will have read and seen, it’s been a seismic few days because Bielsa really was the darling of the city.
"There are murals of him around the area paying tribute to what he did. We don’t know too much about Jesse Marsch just yet. He’s an American 48-year-old and there seems to be enough cross-over with Bielsa’s philosophy to believe there could be less of a shock for the players on the pitch.
"We’ll have to see how it plays out, but it’s been a very difficult few days and I’d probably describe it as a city in mourning to be honest. Marsch doesn’t have any Premier League experience, but his CV is strong enough to justify him being in this position and warranting the chance.
"He comes from the Red Bull stable of clubs. He started over in America with New York and did very well there in the MLS. He then moved over to Salzburg, where he dominated with his style and broke a few records.
"Earlier this season, he actually went in at Leipzig and began mixing it with the big boys in Europe and it didn’t go particularly well. I think his style of play didn’t necessarily suit, following on from Julian Nagelsmann, who of course has gone on to Bayern Munich.
"It’s been a difficult, chastening few months for him, but he has said since that he learned a lot of lessons from that. Hopefully Leeds will benefit from those lessons which he’s learned. He’s had a few days at the club this week, so thankfully he’s had a clear midweek to prepare the players for Leicester."
Leeds' form has been alarming, including sizeable defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, conceding 17 goals without reply. There was fighting spirit on show against rivals Manchester United, but it still ended in a 4-2 home reverse, while they battled to a 3-3 draw at Aston Villa too.
The Whites, though, also fell to a damaging losses against Newcastle United and Everton – two sides who have spent much of the campaign down at the bottom. Cross believes Marsch's appointment is now an opportunity to banish those memories and make more positives ones.
"I’m sure they’ll be 100 per cent behind him," he added. "It’s a very, very professional group at Leeds. I don’t think for a minute any of them will take for granted what Marcelo Bielsa did for them, especially the ones who have been there since the start in 2018.
"He’s transformed careers and lives and even their families. Many of those players who came up from the Championship were very much on course to be average second tier footballers. They’re now very respected Premier League footballers.
"Kalvin Phillips was voted England’s Player of the Year and, before Bielsa came in, he was probably heading for a EFL career. There’s no doubting the respect and esteem he’ll always be held in by those players. Deep down, they are human beings as well.
"They can’t have enjoyed the thrashings which have come in recent weeks. They must have felt in their heart of hearts that a change wouldn’t have been a bad thing. They may not have gone asking for it, but I’m sure deep down they probably feel that it isn’t the worst decision that’s ever been made, just to give the club a chance of staying up in the Premier League and seeing what they can do.
"We’ll have to see. It’s hard to predict the future. I’m hoping there will be a response from the players. He’s a very personable manager, I think that’s the biggest difference. He will put an arm around players. He'll speak to them directly and have one-to-ones.
"Bielsa always kept a very professional distance from the players and held group meetings. A lot of the talking would be done on the training field. He valued that distance that he kept.
"He didn’t want them to know him too well and he didn’t want to know them too well and see a personal unprofessional side to one another. Jesse Marsch will come in and put an arm around them and be much more hands-on."
It's difficult to predict how Leeds will perform at King Power Stadium on Saturday considering the uncertainly which surrounds the Elland Road club. Cross, however, doesn't expect the tactical plan to differ too much from the one which Bielsa's would have deployed in the East Midlands.
"First of all, they’ll probably thank Leicester for doing them a favour," the Leeds Live reporter continued. "Burnley losing was a huge boost for Leeds in midweek. It may have inadvertently put Leeds’ tails up for Saturday. We know King Power Stadium is a tough place to go.
"Last season, I would argue it was probably Leeds’ best performance of the season. They did beat Man City away, but was more of a smash and grab, whereas they outplayed Leicester on their own turf last year. It was an amazing performance, but as we know, the Leicester fans are a big factor.
"I know it’ll be quite an impressive atmosphere on Saturday, which I’m looking forward to seeing in person. With Jamie Vardy back and James Maddison in form, they’ll be big threats. I’m sure Vardy will be pushing to play a part if he can, if he’s ready.
"It’s hard to know how Leeds will approach it. I think we’ll still see a high line, a high press and that’ll have Vardy whetting his lips. He likes playing against a high line, but they’ll be positive. From a Leeds perspective, the hope is there will be a so-called new manager bounce. There will be a freshness to it.
"Unlike the Spurs game, where we saw confidence crumble very quickly when they scored early, I’d like to think there’d be a bit more resolve about Leeds on Saturday with that fresh approach."